Manager Rodgers won’t sit still in the meantime, as he attempts to bring in the players he feels will help steer Liverpool into the top four and claim the Champions’ League place required to attract a world class successor to the captain.

The Reds have been in talks with French club Lille for more than a month now, over a settlement to end Divock Origi’s loan agreement early , and allow him to arrive at Anfield in January rather than next summer.

And we can reveal a deal has been struck in principle, with Lille ready to accept £3m to allow the Belgium international...but ONLY IF they can sign a replacement in the current transfer window.

Liverpool have also made a firm approach for Bayern Munich’s World Cup star Xherdan Shaqiri, with the English club committing to a fee of around £10m with the German champions.

The Swiss international can play in most of the midfield and forward roles, and Rodgers would dearly love to bring him to Anfield after being rebuffed last summer.

He faces stiff competition from Inter Milan and Juventus, but despite reports suggesting the diminutive Shaqiri wants to move to Italy, sources close to the player have revealed he will consider the Reds’ offer seriously, with Bayern keen to complete a permanent deal, rather than the loan agreement Inter prefer.

The third plank in Rodgers’ triple assault on the transfer market is a move for a keeper to challenge Simon Mignolet.

After scouting Brazilian star Neto for the past 12 months, he has made an approach for a fee of around £3m.

Rodgers hasn’t quite given up hope on a loan deal that will bring Chelsea’s Petr Cech to Anfield, but realistically he has pursued the Neto option, to provide a high quality challenge to the struggling Mignolet.

Keep it under your hat: Petr Cech is still a target as Liverpool seek a new keeper (Image: Getty)

The signings are designed to help Gerrard achieve his last ambition with Liverpool, which is to steer them into the top four this season, and lift one final trophy, with the club still competing for the FA Cup and Europa League.

That dwindling role is the reason Gerrard says he wants to leave Anfield and try the new challenge of MLS, and he is close to announcing his next destination.

Sources close to LA Galaxy have revealed the California club’s confidence they will confirm a contract for two seasons with Gerrard within the next few days, with talks ongoing over big-money plans to make him the successor to David Beckham as the face of American soccer.

His stay could be extended depending on how his family settle in the States, but we can reveal the Anfield legend has been promised a role back at the club when he does hang up his boots.

In talks with Rodgers over the past few days, the manager indicated he would be happy to find a position for a player he rates as the most inspirational and talented he has worked with.

And Liverpool’s American owners Tom Werner and John Henry have been in touch personally with the skipper, to make clear their will welcome him back to their club should he decide he wants to continue in football.

The club previously confirmed he would be given a job when he finishes playing, after Gerrard’s last contract contained a clause which guaranteed a role as an ambassador with an executive position within Anfield.

The owners have spoken to the skipper to reiterate their commitment, and suggest he could be given a role on the coaching side or even one similar to the senior executive position Kenny Dalglish currently performs at Anfield.

Gerrard admitted this weekend he would love to come back, and hinted at such a role when he spoke about the pain he knows he will feel when he finally comes to leave Anfield at the end of the season:

“The last game and the last couple of training sessions are going to be torture, because it’s so tough to say ‘goodbye’. But hopefully it’s more of a ‘see you soon’ rather than a ‘goodbye’,” he explained.

“But I’ll only come back and serve the club if I feel as if I can help. I’ll always be a fan, of course, no matter what happens in the future. But I think that’s something I’ll have to consider.

“I think when you’ve been part of a club like this for so long and you’ve contributed in the way I’ve tried to, I’d always want that to stay the same in the future. I wouldn’t like to come back just to be Steven Gerrard the player and just be around.

“If they see a role for me where I can help the team or help young kids to become players, of course I will consider it because it’s been such a big part of my life.”